Children and families in Sri Lanka urged into ‘safe zone’

Sri Lanka's military today asked people living in the last remaining rebel-held areas in the island's northeast to move into a declared safe zone ahead of a major attack. The army said it has created a safe zone for tens of thousands of civilians trapped in the Mullaittivu district, the last Tamil Tiger stronghold.

The announcement came as the Tamil Tigers (a militant nationalist organisation named the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE), accused the military of shelling residential areas of Mullaittivu on Monday and Tuesday, killing 17 people and wounding more than 50. The military has denied targeting civilians and instead accuses Tamil Tigers of using civilians as human shields. The Sri Lankan government has denied the claims and criticised the media for broadcasting them.

Leaflets have been air dropped appealing to the civilians trapped in the rebel-held area to move “as soon as possible” into a list of villages which it says will not be targeted by advancing security forces. The military said some have already begun to leave the area with nearly 3,000 arriving in government controlled areas last week.

Both human rights groups and aid agencies have raised concerns over the safety of people living in the conflict area. There are about 250,000 civilians in rebel-held areas, according to figures from aid agencies and there are difficulties feeding them. Since the 1980s, the conflict has caused massive suffering on the island. About 800,000 people, one third of whom are children, have been moved from their homes, sometimes several times. Of the 2.5 million people living in the areas directly affected, about one million are children under 18.

The Tamil Tigers started fighting in the 1970s for a separate state for Tamils in Sri Lanka's north and east. They argued that the Tamils had been discriminated against by successive majority Sinhalese governments. They are categorised as a terrorist group in many countries.

There are five SOS Children’s Villages in Sri Lanka. Following the devastating Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004, the SOS Social Centre at the Village in Batticaloa played an important role in the extensive emergency relief programme carried out by SOS Children. SOS Children set up ten 'Child Relief Centres' and temporary schools along the southern and eastern coast of Sri Lanka, providing clean water, food, medical care and schooling for thousands of children.

Written by Hayley Jarvis for SOS Children

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